FAIRFAX, Va.
George Mason University Counseling and Development Program faculty and graduate students in the Counselors Without Borders Project will serve as the nation’s first counseling student assistance program for victims of Hurricane Katrina during their one-week assignment.
The students, fully supervised by a George Mason licensed faculty member, will provide counseling services to two Mississippi communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
The project has received logistical support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Mississippi Mental Health Counselors Association and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, and will help address the unmet mental health needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The program was created to help respond to the gap in service delivery related to current regulations for mental health providers that require licensure in a mental health discipline and minimum two-week stays.
The project will serve as a national pilot program that aims to more effectively address the underserved mental health needs in the Gulf Coast, primarily focused on the psychological devastation associated with the loss of home, family, possessions, jobs, community and security.
Dr. Fred Bemak, professor of counseling and development and director of the Diversity Research and Action Center at George Mason, is leading the university’s participation in the program.
